Dozens of Al-Qaeda casualties in Shabwah: Yemen army

SANAA

The Yemeni army said Wednesday that its forces had killed or injured dozens of Al-Qaeda militants in the restive, southern Shabwah province, where the military is carrying out a major operation targeting suspected Al-Qaeda hideouts.

"Dozens of Al-Qaeda militants were killed or injured in Azzan town in Shabwah, while five of their vehicles were destroyed," an unnamed military source was quoted as saying by the Defense Ministry's website.

The source dismissed earlier reports that an adviser to the defense minister had been killed in clashes in the province.

Earlier in the day, a local official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Anadolu Agency that defense advisor Mohamed Said and 14 others had been killed on Wednesday in confrontations – which remain ongoing – with Al-Qaeda militants in Shabwah.

Early Wednesday, renewed clashes in the Azzan and Goul al-Rida districts left the defense advisor – along with seven soldiers and seven Al-Qaeda militants – dead, the official said.

Earlier this week, the Yemeni army announced it had regained control of the two districts from Al-Qaeda militants – who remain active in the country's south – following confrontations that left dozens of casualties on both sides.

Yemen recently launched an offensive against suspected Al-Qaeda elements in the south, where the group continues to stage sporadic attacks on army and police targets.

The army has said that its forces destroyed a number of Al-Qaeda hideouts and seized "large amounts" of weapons and explosive-making materials.

Yemen has been dogged by turmoil since pro-democracy protests in 2011 forced autocratic president Ali Abdullah Saleh to step down after 33 years in power.

In the three years since, authorities have struggled to restore law and order.

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